My Weblog

One is shorter than the other

Y'all know I've had a LOT of muscle spasms in the area of my left hip. I've done my best with yoga stretches pretty much every day. But, I have to admit, finally, that my left leg is now shorter than the other. You can see a slight limp when I walk and I can feel it as well. The left leg hits the floor differently when I walk. When I try to do a stretch, like touching my toes, I can never get the left leg as straight as the right. 

I have been trying something different for my aching feet. I am still dealing with the peripheral neuropathy that seems to have happened after numerous IV bags of Levaquin. My toes are sensitive to any amount of pressure, even the weight of a sheet, and if a shoe puts pressure on my toes, it is as though someone just shoved a dagger in. I have searched for a solution. I have increased my shoe size by 1.5 sizes and the width from narrow to wide. This week I have been going to work in my slippers. Fortunately, they are hard soled and they look pretty much like a loafer styled shoe (no bunny slippers for me). The first couple of times my heels were sore, as if they needed more shock absorption. I added some heel cups to each of them and that seems to have done the trick. My feet still hurt at the end of a workday, but without the sharp dagger sticks. That makes it much more tolerable.

One day they gave me a trainee to work with. Nice lady, about my age. She frustrated me no end. Over the last year I've worked with a number of trainees, but none like this one (both in this life and in my prior life). I'd be trying to show her something about how the computer system works and she'd just talk over me. She treats every customer like he or she is her new best friend. Now, certainly, we are to be friendly, but she talks and her line doesn't move. That puts lots of stress on her co-workers because they have to carry part of her load in addition to their own. Sooner or later someone is going to eat her alive over it. Good thing she didn't work Labor Day!

We have been SLAMMED lately, particularly on the weekends. It's cooling off a bit outside and folks are no longer hiding in their air conditioned homes. They're taking on gardening projects and painting and outdoor repair projects. We have been consistently short handed. One day last week we had 7 people call to say they were too sick to work. This has forced some of our managers to come out of their hidey-hole office and come out and share a little bit of the stress. Of course, they scuttle back into hiding as fast as they can...........

In the last two weeks, the front end has seen 2 of 4 Head Cashiers take better jobs within the company--one within our store, one at a different location. We've also lost two cashiers that I know of, both for better jobs for some other company. 

There have been no raises this year. There have been some cash awards to all of us who risk death-by-Covid by working there, but a one-time "bonus" does not do what an annual raise does. A raise in year one provides an increased base for all future raises. It's certainly not as though the cost of living hasn't gone up. 

In our lobby there is a sign saying our carts have been sanitized. Pity the poor customer who believes that. They are supposed to be wiped down, one-by-one, as they're brought in from the parking lot. Under the best of circumstances two or three carts will be brought in and the guy whose job that is will stand about two feet from the closest cart, grab a spray bottle, pump it about twice and call it good. Every day there is a call or two for a "code 30". That means any employee who is available is supposed to gather as many carts as he or she can manage and bring them in. I'd bet my beloved van not a single person stops to sanitize those carts they bring in. I mentioned it to one of the managers the other day and he turned it into a joke and laughed about it...........

Ah well, enough of that. How goes it with you?/

Be advised.............

If you give me a day off, and I am not totally exhausted, I might do something highly unusual--like cook! I made a casserole and it's "slap yo' Mama" good! It's NOT a diet recipe, though I really did cut (you'll find it hard to believe) some of the fat grams.

The original recipe called for cooking 2 cups of pasta to al dente. Then I was supposed to chop a medium onion and brown it in butter. This step I skipped entirely, substituting about 1/4 cup freeze dried onions. The original recipe said to drain a pint of canned chicken. I did not drain mine. The chicken had created its own delicious broth--I couldn't bear to throw it away and it hardly seemed enough to save. I emptied a can of mushroom soup into a large oven safe bowl and got it warm. Then I stirred 4 oz of cream cheese into it as well as some onion powder and garlic powder. Heating the soup helped the cream cheese to melt. Then I stirred in my pint jar of chicken, broth and all. I added my freeze dried onions to the bowl and stirred them in. Then I drained my pasta and stirred it into the large bowl. I grabbed a grocery store bunch of fresh spinach and very roughly chopped about two cups, firmly pressed. Finally I added half a pint-sized container of sour cream, with salt and pepper to taste.  The original recipe called for a whole pint! I layered some of the chicken mixture into a large baking dish. I added a thick layer of the fresh spinach. Then I topped my casserole with the remaining chicken mixture. I baked it at 350, covered for 15 minutes. I removed the cover and baked it for another 20 minutes. The original recipe called for shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese layered into the casserole and topping it off as well. The original recipe called for topping everything with buttered breadcrumbs. I completely omitted the cheese and the buttered breadcrumbs, trying to take my arteries into consideration. I also gave a thought to the size of my hips when I made that decision, I must admit. 

The stuff turned out to be utterly delicious. Yes, I omitted lots of fat grams, but it's still a rich dish. I think it might have sent my poor gall bladder into spasms if i'd added all that additional sour cream, butter and cheese. Adding the broth was a good thing. It made the "sauce" easier to stir and gave some liquid to help rehydrate the onions. There is a lot left over to save in the freezer in individual portions for later meals, so this casserole, with a side salad, would probably feed 6 people

plum jam

I had done some canning when I was younger, but then demands in other areas of my life got in the way. However, my daughter and son-in-law had a plum tree in their yard. I promised her some plum jam in exchange for some of those plums which they were trying to get rid of. When I brought her a jar of the jam, she didn't even say thank you. Just accepted the jar and shortly set it down. Years later, she moved and, of course, Mama was there to help. I was packing up the contents of the fridge. There, way in the back, I discovered a jar of my plum jam, never opened. It was the last home-canned thing I ever gave her. Do you blame me?  When I take food from my mouth and give it to someone else, I'd like to think it was appreciated.

It came too soon

This is it. The last day of my staycation. I am not ready I do NOT want to go back to work. 

I have spent the week in my slippers. Oh, I've had a few shots of neuritis pain, but my feet have not hurt anything like usual. My back has popped out numerous times, but has obligingly popped back in place within minutes when I moved in certain ways. There have been no muscle spasms. I have taken half as much blood pressure medication as usual and my blood pressure has stayed within reasonable range of "normal". I have continued to take my heart medication but my heart rate has not gone within 20 beats of its usual crazy rate. And today, we have a light smoke cover from the CA fires but I've done okay. I Have sneezed a lot from the smoke though. I feel restored and rejuvenated.  It is this feeling most of all I don't want to give up.

I wish I could bottle sleep and divide it up into doses. I have slept A LOT this week. I have done the laundry. I have gotten the trash out in a timely manner. In general, the condition of the house is improved. I have cooked. I have baked. 

I have concluded this job is killing me and it's not clear to me that I want to spend what's left of my life on it. I will get the air conditioner repair behind me and in February I will try to come to a decision on at least reducing my work schedule.

Customer Service Fail

I went to my local CVS pharmacy. I called last night and they had a prescription ready for me to pick up. So, first I picked up a small grocery order (mostly stock up stuff) and then I headed to the pharmacy. This pharmacy has two drive up lanes. The outer one is clearly marked "Drop Off Only". The other lane had no marking. Between the two lines, out a foot or two, was a sign that said they were offering Covid testing by appointment only. I figured that was nice to know, but mostly irrelevant to my life--I cannot worry about Covid and do the job God gave me, so I don't worry about it. There were 3 cars ahead of me when I pulled into the drive up lane at 11:03. At 11:44 I finally got to the pick up window where I was informed that I was in the lane for Covid testing. Reserved, but unmarked. Apparently I was supposed to intuit that and also intuit that the "Drop Off Only" sign was invalid. So, for want of decent signage, I sat there for 41 minutes, waiting to pick up a prescription that I verified was ready last night. Air conditioning running, motor running, gasoline burning, temper flaring because they couldn't bother to put up a decent sign or two. I can understand that for something we all hope is temporary, perhaps they didn't want to pay for new signs. But surely they could have sprung for a couple of pieces of poster board and a sharpie.

Smith's (Kroger) had boneless pork butt on sale for $.99 a pound. That's my kind of price! I ordered two. I figured I could freeze them or can them and enjoy a really good pork meal later. Oh woe is me. They had no more of those when they shopped my order. They substituted a couple of boneless center cut pork roasts that were retailing for $4.99. Of course, I got them for $.99 a pound. I could hardly contain myself when the pick up guy asked if the substitution was okay with me, LOL. Heck yes!

I have managed to drag all the cold stuff into the house. But, now, whatever attacked the upper part of my digestive system last night has moved to the lower part. From now on, trips to the car will be interspersed with trips to the restroom.............

I am pretty sure this Covid thing will be with us a while. And the Governor of my state is a Democrat. I am just cynical enough to believe he would not be averse to another lockdown between now and November 3. So, I'm stocking up as I can. This week I invested in some baking items--flour, brown sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa. I couldn't get a lot of any of those, but at least I have a spare of each now. I also picked up several packages of frozen mixed vegetables to dehydrate. Good for later use in soups, homemade pot pies, or stir fry and sheld stable in the meantime. And, of course those pork roasts............

Well, that was new...........

Sometimes, as I get older, I start to feel there is a sameness about my days, that there is nothing new. I've seen it all, particularly with this "pandemic" thing and all those "peaceful protests". However I just suddenly got hit with something new...........

I suddenly got extremely nauseated. I knew bad things were coming. I prayed my way to the hall bath. The carpeting in my hallway is second-hand and very poorly installed. Nevertheless, it's mine. And, with the predicted demise of my AC unit, I can't be replacing carpet. And I had just finished eating some chocolate. Imagine the stains on a cream colored carpet.

I held it down til I could bend over the toilet. Then I heaved so violently that I started a nosebleed. I am pretty sure I have never gotten sick so fast in my life. And I am completely sure I never experienced a nosebleed as a result. So, a new experience. Now I just need to figure out if I need to take a big bowl or a trashcan with me to bed............

Staycation

I used to sit on my vacation days, hoping to have more time to spend with the kids. Now that my son-in-law has moved to another city, I do not harbor any fantasies of seeing the kids again for years, if ever. So, I had today off and I have 6 more days scheduled off. Today and tomorrow will be without pay. Not vacation days--just days I have marked myself as unavailable to work. But Monday thru Friday will be vacation days, though I'll only be paid for 4 hours each day. I really wanted 7 days off in a row. This was the only way I could get a 7-day break. I am hoping that with adequate sleep, adequate opportunity to drink water, and adequate opportunity to eat some nutritious food, some of what ails me will back off.

I have not accomplished all that I wanted to get done. I started in the kitchen. Loaded the dishwasher, ran the dishwasher, unloaded the dishwasher, and almost have it filled again. Of course, I've also hand-washed a lot of stuff as well. Put together a grocery list and got the stuff ordered. Dehydrated some veggies. Made more of that "sweet potato pudding" I enjoy. Did a load of laundry and got it all hung to dry. Oh, and I have also been running in and out, watering my poor parched shrubs. Not much, but I have been dragging so much lately physically, I don't intend to berate myself because I've accomplished SOMETHING. I should also mention I got some of the trash out of my yard that has been out there since our day of high winds--Tuesday.

Wonder what I can get done tomorrow?

 

Uh-Oh nightshades

I read a couple of months ago that nightshades act to increase arthritis pain. What are nightshades? Peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant, among other things...........Two of those named items are pretty high on my list of favorite veggies. Now, a green pepper will not pass my lips if I can help it. I just don't like 'em, and the way they upset my stomach, apparently they don't like me. Red peppers are better--much milder in taste, and much less stomach upset. So, no peppers is not a big thing for me. No tomatoes is a rough one. For one thing I make a lot of pasta with various forms of red sauce. And pasta is a go to when I want to eat NOW. But, let's face it, we cooks put tomatoes in lots of things. And I flat out crave eggplant, preferably just fried in olive oil or in eggplant parmegian. Another arthritis irritant is flour. My primary source of flour would be pasta and sometimes bread. 

I have allowed tomato sauce to pass my lips twice in 2 months. And that was on frozen ravioli. Other than that and maybe some ketchup, I've been tomato-free. I have eaten no peppers and no eggplant. I may have had 5 slices of bread in those 2 months. So, I pretty much abstained from the bad stuff for 2 months. Meanwhile I have been eating a small serving of blueberries daily as well as taking ginger and turmeric supplements. These items are high on the list of arthritis fighters. Then............

I made that delicious chicken gumbo which contained 28 ounces of tomatoes. Suddenly my right thumb hurt, right at the base where it joins the hand. Not only did it hurt, the joint also swelled. Then I had a serving of that gumbo the following day. And mt ankles began to hurt. Finally, this morning, it hit me what I had done. Tomatoes! So, my right hand hurts and I have a lousy grip when I try to pick something up. And, of course moving me feet in almost any manner hurts.

Then I woke up this morning to three more unpleasant things. First, my gut is in an uproar, and second, the sky is filled with CA smoke. The prediction was for 97 degrees and sunny skies. They have since lowered the expected high to 92 and you wouldn't even know there IS sun in the desert.There's light, but no visible sky. I have had several prolonged coughing fits as well as my hack-hack asthma cough. I am also sneezing, my chest aches, and my head is full of mucus. And finally, there is a cramp in my left hip, right below the waist. The cramp is not debilitating as yet. It just gives me a nice roundhouse punch every now and then. 

To make a long story short I am not going to work today, remembering how awful Monday was with just the smoke............

So, I canned chicken. Now what?

I admit it. I am not the most creative cook in the world. I have a number of recipes I've made for years. They're good recipes and I make them well. Many call for chicken, but only one calls for precooked (canned) chicken. It has taken me quite a while to realize if a recipe calls for chicken, canned chicken can be substituted. The only differences are in technique and time required. Today I watched a lady make what she called chicken gumbo. It looked really good to me, but she used fresh chicken which she browned in oil in a skillet. Then she added other ingredients: fresh okra, canned tomatoes, fresh chopped onion, water, and fresh garlic, chopped. Could not-very-creative me adapt it to the use of canned chicken?

Here's what I did: I dumped two 14 oz cans of tomatoes into a pot. I rinsed one can out with about half a can of water and added a full can of water from the other can. I added several good handsful of freeze-dried onions to rehydrate in the water/juice. I pulled a bag of chopped frozen okra from the freezer and added that to the pot. I started the pot cooking at medium high and eventually lowered the heat to med low. I added a pint of canned chicken, broth and all. I seasoned with about a teaspoon of my homemade garlic powder, four two-finger pinches of salt, and a goodly amount (to taste) of freshly ground black pepper. (I don't use a lot of salt, as a rule, but even I wished for more when I tasted my concoction.) Finally, I dumped about 2/3 cup of basmati rice into the pot. I let the pot simmer for long enough to cook the rice. 

I've had one healthy serving for dinner. If I can stay out of it, I have three more good-sized servings for the freezer. This was good food, all made from stuff in my pantry. I'm so glad I tried this little experiment.

I labored on Labor Day

I've told you before--I never know what day it is. All I knew was that the store was OVERRUN. Besides 3 registers in the customer service/returns area, we consistently had 5 registers in the front area staffed by someone. Sometimes the staffing consisted of the regular cashiers. People were drafted from other areas of the store who were former cashiers. Department managers, head cashiers, my first level boss, the Assistant Store Manager who is in charge of the front end. and others were all observed on the machines. Several times I called for backup because my own line and the next register over had too many people lined up to check out. I left the store having had the opportunity to drink about 1/4th my daily ration of water. I wolfed down some sliced deli meat on my break and occasionally got a chance to eat some fresh blueberries. 

I left the store feeling as beat up as I've ever felt, though, thankfully, not hurting as much as some days.

The weather didn't help either. When i woke up, I could tell by the quality of light that something was different. Our usual brand of light is harsh, like it has sharp points. The sunlight in the desert is really intense. However, it looked "overcast". Sure enough, I couldn't see the tiniest scrap of sunlight--it was all hidden. In that the forecast for the day called for a high of 113, I was pretty sure that, as usual, this "overcast" would burn off and shortly, we'd be under sunny skies again, on our way to "excessive heat", as the weather channel calls it. But, it didn't burn off and there was a good reason for that--it wasn't "overcast" at all. It was smoke from the California fires. 

Under normal conditions, I avoid going out. If I have to run an errand, that is accomplished as quickly as possible and I head home. During a normal week, I go to work. I might also run 2 miles down the street to make a bank deposit. Or, I might drive 1.5 miles to the gas station where I get the best price. That's it. I have no portable source of oxygen and I feel less well without it. My oxygen concentrator lives in a corner of my living room with 50 ft of tubing attached so I can comfortably go from room to room.

But yesterday was a high stress day due to the working conditions. And there I was with air to breathe that was contaminated with California smoke, little to eat or drink, and the requirement to talk to customers in a continuous stream all day long. I had been smothering coughs, to the extent I could, for hours and I was on the verge of losing my voice. I coughed on the way home and for several hours after I got here. Finally it subsided.

Today we have wind, and that usually is a bad thing. It normally means mucho pollen and dust in the air. But, today, it has one benefit--it has blown that huge smoke cloud out of the valley, thank the Lord. Sadly it was trash day and I have a boatload of the neighbors' trash in my yard. But, I can deal with that. It also brought a break in the heat, with a predicted high of "only" 90 degrees. And the beat goes on..............